Yesterday (September 12), a U.S. judge dismissed the lawsuit against Canadian petroleum company, Talisman Energy which accused it of human rights violations in Sudan. From 1998 through 2003, Talisman was a 25% owner of the Greater Nile Petroleum Operating Company. U.S District Judge Denise Cote ruled in New York that the plaintiffs, who included the Presbyterian Church of Sudan, had failed to locate sufficient admissible evidence that the Talisman has violated international law in order to proceed to trial. She noted that the plaintiff's ability to gather evidence had been "severely frustrated" by the lack of cooperation form the Sudanese government. The government of Sudan had also been sued but had ignored the case filed in 2001 under the U.S. Alien Tort Claims Act on behalf of as many as 250,000 non-Muslim Sudanese. The case had alleged that churches had been deliberately bombed, church leaders killed and villagers killed and depopulated in order to make way for oil exploration. The plaintiffs have thirty days to appeal the ruling.
Glenn Penner, spokesman for The Voice of the Martyrs, commenting on the ruling said, "The blood of Sudanese Christians continues to cry out for justice. Unfortunately, it is increasingly apparent that this justice will be difficult, if not impossible, to be found in the legal courts. This is not to say that it should not be pursued, but I would not be surprised if the legal approach ultimately fails. Talisman and the Sudanese government have shown considerable skill over the years in covering their trail of wrongdoing. As Christians, however, we know God holds society responsible to uphold the rights of the needy and victimized and when they fail to do so, He will not turn His back. Ultimately, justice will be served even if we may not see it in this life. Those responsible for the genocide in Sudan may feel that they have been reprieved. They have not."
The Voice of the Martyrs in Canada is active in rebuilding the life and witness of Sudan's Christians in southern Sudan. A video report on our work in helping to rebuilding the Nugent School in Loka, South Sudan can be found on our multimedia website www.vomcanada.com.
For more information facing the Christians of Sudan, click here.
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